Instant Pot Mac and Cheese – This macaroni and cheese is every family’s favorite comfort food pasta recipe made easy in the Instant Pot! You can have creamy, mouthwatering, homemade mac and cheese for dinner in about 10 minutes!
Have I mentioned lately that I’m kind of in love with my Instant Pot? Although, I do love our classic Baked Mac and Cheese too! If you have been following me on Instagram you’ll know that I’ve documented my daily trials and errors using the thing. I was so skeptical of even getting one in the first place, and now, it’s pretty much all I want to use for cooking at all! It takes a lot of the in-between steps out of making simple recipes. Like this mac and cheese, the pasta cooks in just enough liquid, with no need to drain! If you’re looking for more amazing Instant Pot dinners definitely try out this Instant Pot Jambalaya it’s out of this world!!
My family absolutely LOVED this macaroni and cheese. Well, I did too. The flavor was absolutely perfect and it was super creamy, just like a good mac should be.
I made this recipe in my 8 quart Instant Pot, and it will definitely work just fine if you have a 6 quart as well. It makes a whole lot by the way. Yay for leftovers!
There was enough for my family of four to eat this as a main dish with a side salad for supper. Then, my kids took some for lunch in their thermos to school the next day. Even after that we had enough left to use up as a side dish later in the week!
How to Make Instant Pot Mac and Cheese:
- For the best flavor, I recommend using chicken broth as your cooking liquid. I used low sodium chicken broth. If you don’t have low sodium, leave out the extra addition of salt, then salt as needed when serving.
- Use seasoning! I add salt, pepper, garlic powder, and hot sauce to this before cooking. Don’t worry, the hot sauce does not make this spicy at all. It just adds an additional layer of flavor that’s amazing.
- Use a combination of cheeses for the best taste. I use a mixture of sharp cheddar, mozzarella. When you add the cheese, make sure to stir continuously so that it all melts in really well and you aren’t left with clumps.
- Don’t use canned milk. I used regular 2% milk, and I recommend that or whole milk for best results. Most of the recipes I saw for Instant Pot mac and cheese used evaporated milk which I am not a fan of at all.
Enjoy!
~Nichole
Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 16 Ounces Uncooked Elbow Macaroni
- 4 Cups Chicken Broth
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 Teaspoon Hot Pepper Sauce
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Pepper
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- 1/2 Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
- 1/2 -1 Cup Milk
Instructions
- Add the uncooked macaroni, chicken broth, butter, hot sauce, garlic powder, pepper, and salt to the Instant Pot.
- Place the lid on the pot and set to sealing. Cook on manual function, high pressure for 5 minutes. Then, do a quick release.
- Add the milk, then the cheese to the pot in 3-4 handfuls, stirring in between each addition until smooth and creamy. Season as necessary to taste.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Looking for other great Instant Pot recipes? Try these:
It’s a cold, gray January day with a combination of rain and sleet falling – I got cold to the bone when I took the dog out for a walk. Hungry and in need of a warming up, I came upon this recipe. Oh, my goodness! It’s perfect!
I added leftover ham and fresh broccoli to make it more of a main dish than a side. Delicious, although next time I will add frozen veg at the end when you stir in the cheese.
It’s definitely not Mediterranean Diet or Whole 30 (so much cheese!😁) but it’s a perfect rainy day comfort food fix.
By the way, don’t skip the hot sauce. You can’t taste it, but it definitely brightens the taste of the cheeses.
Thanks for an awesome recipe!
Easy peasy and tasty as can be! I used veggie broth, cheddar, smoked guda, mozz, “not milk” (plant based) and added a mustard base BBQ in addition to the spices and hot sauce. I’ll make this many more times. Thank you!! 🧀🧀🧀
Can the chicken broth be substituted with something else that is vegetarian?
You can use vegetable broth or water
Absolutely the best Mac and cheese we have ever tasted! Now my go-to, most requested fish for my family. They get so excited when I make it.
This recipe is a winner! My sort of picky eater five year old loves this. I skipped the mozzarella because I was out, but used three cups or so sharp cheddar I shredded myself, then a 1/2 cup Mexican (not taco, just a four cheese blend) for the rest. Ended up using just shy of the full cup of whole milk. Outstanding! I had enough leftover for two medium sized freezer meal preps – casserole-style – I’ll bake for later dinners.
Can this recipe be halved in the IP?
This mac and cheese is so easy, quick, and delicious. My picky son even likes it!
Loved the easy recipe. I used cavatapi instead and quite a few of the pasta pieces were undercooked. Have you had experience with different pastas in your recipe? The flavor was awesome, just a word to the wise on the choice of pasta.
Good rule of thumb, whatever the pasta cooking time on the packet is, halve it and minus 1 minute for pressure cookers
So 10 minutes on the pack of pasta would be 4 minutes in pressure cooker
Outta the park! Followed to the T, added about 1/4 c more whole milk. Finished it in the broiler with parmesan breadcrumbs and a bit more parmesan cheese on top for the perfect crunch! Whole fam lives it!!! Great with a bit of tobasco or siracha on top.
Oh, I forgot to mention that i added cooked bacon pieces to it! 🤗
I added tomato paste with chicken broth and noodles- it was awesome. Great recipe!
Thank you
Perfect. Per the note about stringiness of mozzarella I increased the amount of cheddar to 3 cups and omitted the mozzarella.
In NZ our pasta typically comes in 500g bags, which is a little more than the 16oz noted, so I measured it in a jug and made sure the chicken stock was the same amount and added a touch more milk at the end and it all worked out fine.